Security guard asked me for ID & ran me for warrants

[tripper]

LOL you got rick rolled!

With police and security, just be polite and respectful.
With the security obviously just apologize and leave if it becomes hostile.
Being respectful to police officers goes a long way, 95% of them will respond positively this way, the other 5% not much you can do, still remain respectful, as they can make up charges, or even beat the crap out of you if you become belligerent, their word vs yours, you will always lose.

If you ever do encounter a bad cop and are fearful dial 911 and tell them that and have them send a supervisor.

 

[eDJ_]

I agree with Van - Tramp,

Even a crook can make a "Rent A Cop" uniform and go out cruising parking lots to try and shake down
the unsuspecting.   I always ask first before staying on a lot.  (even at Walmart where I see other people parked in RV's)   I always make it a point to buy some cheap items and leave the shopping bag on the dash in front of my steering wheel with the receipt stapled to so it displays the time and date of the purchase.  Thus I was a customer there,  got permission from a manager whose name I write down on the receipt.

Since there is no such thing as "Privacy" any more,  if you have Credit Cards etc I'd notify any and all of them
to be on the alert for suspicious activity.  They may even issue you new cards.   But it beats getting a surprise
in your next billing statements. 

There are a lot of bottom feeders out there working such scam's on travelers.   Walmart will let you park on the lots (where it's legal) but they don't have to assure any security for you. 

The last time I was out I think the (^*$%*) who was driving the vacuum truck to sweep the lot decided to drive in circles around my rig 20 or 30 times to have some fun harassing someone.   The area I was parked in wasn't needing swept....but he may have had issues with travelers being in his way when he was there to sweep. 

But you will encounter all kinds......

 

[DLTooley]

The only thing they have a right to do is to ask you to leave, which you should do politely. If anything else happens start recording, even if just audio.

 

[John61CT]

I would not be at all surprised if a large enough security firm had access to private subscription databases, perhaps also contributing incident reports.

So much of our data is being sold, publicly available, easily cross-referenced and mined for whatever purposes anyone with money can dream up. Outside the EU, there is very little regulation, never mind enforcement.

But no, people aren't (yet) "tracking van dwellers"

 

[lenny flank]

Question.

What is the difference between a vehicle, legally parked, in an area not restricted against overnight parking, versus someone "inhabiting a vehicle overnight"?

The answer is: whether or not you respond when they knock.

Non sequiteur. This was NOT a vehicle in a public area not restricted against overnight parking. There is no "right" to park overnight in a private lot. Period. End of debate. Even if you are a member, or a paying customer, or a god-fearing patriotic Merkan who sing Lee Greenwood songs in the shower. If they want you to leave, you will be leaving--one way or the other. (And yelling "fascist cops!!!!" won't change any of that.)

Here is the question you SHOULD be asking:

What is the difference in an occupied vehicle that is parked where it should not be, and an unoccupied vehicle that is parked where it should not be?

Answer: One will be driven away by its owner; the other will be towed away without its owner.

Which do you prefer?

 

[Van-Tramp]

Lenny, I do notsee anyone stating we have a right to park or sleep where we want. We do have other rights however, one if which is that we do not have to open our door to anyone without a warrant. Those are the rights we speak of.

Can they then tow you for that? Nope! Read the laws Lenny. They can tag your vehicle but MUST WAIT 24 hours before they can tow... even on private property. (They can tow immediately if you are blocking a driveway). Should you still move? Of course!

But seriously, your hyperbole on the subject is extremely bad advice  and may cost someone thier life someday when they open the door to a killer just to avoid getting towed (because you instilled that false fear)

 

[John61CT]

Lots of places would not bother calling for an overnight vehicle to be towed if (it appears that) there is no one in it, but as soon as they find out someone's in there will ask them to leave.

As is their right.

Private property is the best place to sleep, **if** you make arrangements with the owner,

or **know** that no one is keeping an eye on it, but then you're taking chances and could be cited for trespass if you bet wrong.

Public property has both nosy citizens and LEO interested in what's going on, so very much depends on local attitudes and how you and your rig present.

Best in both cases is as stealthy a rig as possible, no outward indication there might be someone asleep in there, and of course following the usual guidelines.

 

[John61CT]

we do not have to open our door to anyone without a warrant. Those are the rights we speak of.

Can they then tow you for that? Nope! Read the laws Lenny. They can tag your vehicle but MUST WAIT 24 hours before they can tow... even on private property. (They can tow immediately if you are blocking a driveway)

Varies by jurisdiction, and not enforced in practice, you'd have to sue as a civil matter, likely as a Small Claims.

Obviously the advice to promptly leave when asked overrides in this case, so, just sayin'

 

[Weight]

If you are driving down the highway and the police attempt to stop you. Do you stop and give up your information and papers? Do you stop but refuse to identify yourself? Do you just keep driving?
In some jurisdictions you may have the right to refuse searches. But if you do not ID yourself you will most likely be arrested and then your vehicle is seized.
If you are parked and in your vehicle on public right-of-way, it is the same as driving on the highway.
If you are trespassing on private property you are criminally at risk of arrest.
No one advocates not identifying your visitor, or quickly unlocking your door. But under any reasonable occurrences, answering questions and being polite is the best procedure.

 

[Van-Tramp]

I dont want to water down this thread with a debate on our constitutional rights. All I am saying is learn about them. The idea that we should obey out of fear is insane.

Parking in a patking lot is not trespassing until you have been asked to leave and you do not. Read the laws. If you do not answer the door, how can you be asked to leave?

I would not offer up my id to a police until he identified the law he suspects I am violating. He must do so by law, and I am not required by law to provide id until that time (seriously, you need to educate yourself on your rights). Once he did that, I would follow the letter of the law and provide any such paperwork that the law demands. And I would fo all of it politely and with all the respect he/she deserves

 

[John61CT]

Varies by state, unless you want to become an ACLU test case

You are required to identify yourself and give your address, but not give documents

Except Custom/border police, within 100 miles of a U.S. land or coastal border, which covers 9 out of 10 biggest cities, 2/3 of the US population.

Their daily routine violations are being challenged by the ACLU.

 

[lenny flank]

Obviously the advice to promptly leave when asked overrides in this case, so, just sayin'

Yep, it's pretty simple. When you are asked to leave, leave. Promptly, courteously, and cheerfully. Anything else is just arm-waving.

 

[rvwandering]

I've deleted a few posts because of unnecessary snippiness. Please keep your posts civil so that the thread can stay opened.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

I understand the points about constitutional rights, but I also know many police are annoyed by insisting on them and not always honest about enforcement. I rather just be polite to them and leave immediately if that is what they ask. Seems a lot easier to me.

 

[DLTooley]

That’s the way trespass laws work. If a farm has an open field you are free to walk across it so long as you do no damage, it is not ‘posted’ or someone asks you to leave.

Those requests can certainly be discriminatory, but discrimination due residential use isn’t going to cut it. Public officials making such a claim over public land is another matter.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I've deleted a few posts because of unnecessary snippiness. 

How do we tell if our snippiness is...necessary or unnecessary?

 

[wrightstuf]

Just what you need...a rent-a-cop on a power trip, Lol.
1st of all...you're screwed. You WILL have to leave...one way or the other.
There is no way in hell I would have given that dipshit and of my personal information or my ID. The fact that he started off being aggressive would lead me to believe you are NOT going to win.
I probably would have said, "Instead of my ID, how about I put my foot up your ass instead?" Then I would have packed up and left.
The last thing you want is to have the cops show up. It WILL go downhill from there.

 

[wrightstuf]

If you're are in a vehicle you have to show a cop your drivers license. If you aren't, you don't.
You just need to ask yourself if you want to endure the hassle you may get when you refuse.
If you think for one minute, a cop showing up at your parked RV cant dream up "probable cause," you're dreaming.

 

[curlew]

How come so many people here have nothing but trouble while Justincredible has virtually none?

 

[lenny flank]

I've only had one cop knock---someone had seen me getting into the van and reported it as "someone breaking into a car". The cops ran my ID, said "sorry to bother you", and left.

And I've had one security guard encounter--he politely told me that this particular Walmart no longer allowed vans to park overnight (though they still allowed RVs)--he then pointed me to a Cracker Barrel up the road where I could park instead.

If someone is having continual cop trouble, I suspect they are probably bringing it on themselves.